1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a snorkel safety device adapted to make an individual swimming along the water's surface visible and identifiable to others in the area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Snorkeling, wherein individuals swim along the surface of the water utilizing a snorkel tube to breath without having to remove their face from beneath the surface of the water is an increasingly popular activity for adults and children. Generally, when individuals snorkel, either as part of a dive group or on their own, dive buoys with diver down flags are set up in the vicinity of the dive area. Unfortunately, however, unless many dive buoys are utilized, it is difficult to define the precise dive area, and with active snorkelers, they may swim some distance from the dive buoy while exploring beneath the water's surface. The diver down flags are utilized because in addition to being a very entertaining activity, snorkeling can also become a very dangerous activity. Particularly, when snorkeling, very little of the diver protrudes through the water's surface and the snorkel tube itself which protrudes through the water's surface is difficult to identify. Accordingly, it would be highly beneficial to provide a safety device which enables a snorkeler to be easily located from above the water's surface yet will not be overly restrictive so as to make snorkeling difficult or cumbersome and thereby making the device unpleasant to utilize.
Some devices, such as those disclosed in the patents to Schmitz, U.S. Pat. No. 156,599, Weck, U.S. Pat. No. 183,521, and Mitchell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,493 have secured a signal flag to an underwater breathing apparatus. These devices, however, are adapted to enable the swimmer to swim some distance from the location of air intake. While enabling a diver to go deeper and still be able to breath, these devices also enable an individual to roam far from the location of the dive flag thereby minimizing the safety advantages of the warning flag since it is not at the exact point at which the diver is swimming. Further, such devices could be difficult to utilize for large group dives wherein many individuals are in the water and the air intakes can easily become tangled. Also, they would require that many individuals who already have a snorkel tube get all new dive equipment. Most importantly, the safety device should be utilized at all times and should pinpoint the location of the snorkeler rather than the general location of the snorkel as is the case with dive buoys; or signal devices which are allowed to float freely away from the snorkeler's body. Additionally, if the signal device is allowed to float freely away from the user's body, entanglement of the diver or other divers, with the safety device may become problematic.
In addition to warning others of the presence of a snorkeler, it would also be highly beneficial to be able to identify a particular snorkeler from a boat, dock, or beach. In the case of large dive boats from which many snorkelers leave at one time, and in the case of small children, it would be beneficial for a captain or guardian to be able to identify which particular snorkelers are associated with them so that a proper lookout for emergency situations can be maintained. If the safety device were allowed to roam free or far from the snorkeler's body, it would be difficult to identify particular snorkeler's especially in popular dive locations where there are many snorkeler's swimming at one time.
The device of the present invention is adapted to enable easy and comfortable adaptation and use with existing dive equipment and enables precise identification and signalling of a snorkeler's location to be maintained, thereby overcoming the precisely recited difficulties associated with known safety systems.